Residents in Buderim, Queensland are regularly out and about walking, talking and gardening together. Last year, their integrated, edible nature strips produced 900kg of bananas and 300 cabbages. Best of all, their bountiful produce "keeps a car off the road, makes it easier for the meal, and it's also healthier because you're walking. That's what the neighbourhood is about: walking and engaging."

Some road safety researchers and agencies think talking to other people makes you unsafe crossing the road.

Certainly smartphones are raising new road safety issues, but Victoria Walks is not convinced pedestrian distraction is as big a problem as is being claimed. Austroads recently released a report arguing that 40% of pedestrians may be distracted crossing the road. But close examination of the evidence they cite does not back that claim – read more here.

It seems that ‘pedestrian distraction’ is itself a distraction from the main safety issues for walkers – like drivers who fail to give way, poor road design and high traffic speeds.

Help us bring you more Walking Maps

We've been bringing you hundreds of walks from all over Victoria in the last 4 years. That's no mean feat for a small (but amazingly productive) charity.

While some walks are created by fellow walkers, many of the best are created professionally, which can cost $500 - $800 per walk. We also contract web developers to improve the Walking Maps website so that it's easy to use and inspires people to step out. Like most things in life, all of this costs money.